Business

Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida businesses created more than 25,000 private-sector jobs in February. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created nearly 1.5 million jobs. Florida’s annual job growth rate of 2.2 percent continues to exceed the nation’s rate of 1.8 percent. Florida’s annual job growth rate has exceeded the nation’s rate for 70 of the past 71 months. The only month that Florida did not exceed the nation was a result of Hurricane Irma. Governor Scott made the announcement at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new development project in downtown Ocala, which will include a new Hilton Garden Inn, apartment complex and restaurants. This project will also create more than 280 jobs for Ocala families and help bring more visitors to Central Florida.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida businesses created more than 25,000 new jobs last month, which means thousands of more opportunities are available for Floridians. Earlier this month, we concluded the 2018 legislative session by securing major initiatives that will help ensure this economic growth continues in Florida for years to come. This includes cutting taxes by nearly $550 million and ensuring Floridians have the opportunity to make it harder for politicians to raise taxes with a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. I am proud of the work we have done to encourage job growth, and we will not stop working until Florida is the best place in the nation to succeed.”

As of February, Florida’s unemployment rate remains low at 3.9 percent, a drop of 6.9 percentage points since December 2010. This drop is faster than the national decline of 5.2 percentage points. In the last year, 136,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.4 percent, which is greater than the national labor force growth rate of 1.2 percent, and shows more Floridians are looking for and finding jobs across the state.

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “We are proud that businesses are continuing to create jobs in Florida, and that our state’s unemployment rate remains low at 3.9 percent. The nearly 1.5 million jobs created under Governor Scott’s leadership demonstrate that the Sunshine State is the best place to live the American Dream.”

Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida businesses created more than 10,000 private-sector jobs in January. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created nearly 1.5 million jobs, which includes more than 144,000 in the last year. Florida’s annual job growth rate of 1.9 percent continues to exceed the national rate of 1.7 percent. Florida’s annual job growth rate has exceeded the nation for 69 of the past 70 months. The only month that Florida did not exceed the nation was a result of Hurricane Irma. Jobs numbers for February 2018 will be announced on March 23rd.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida businesses kicked off 2018 by creating more than 10,000 new jobs for families across the state in January. Each new job means a family is able to provide for themselves and continue to succeed in our state. That is why we have worked nonstop to make Florida more business friendly by reducing burdensome regulations and cutting taxes. This includes putting a constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot that will make it harder for politicians to raise taxes on future generations so our progress cannot be undone. We look forward to seeing the many more opportunities that will be created throughout the year as more job creators choose to grow in Florida.”

As of January, Florida’s unemployment rate is at 3.9 percent, a drop of 6.9 percentage points since December 2010. This drop is faster than the national decline of 5.2 percentage points. In the last year, 137,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.4 percent, nearly one and a half times the national labor force growth rate of only 0.9 percent, which means more Floridians are choosing to look for a job across the state.

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Florida businesses have created more than 10,000 jobs in January alone thanks to Governor Scott’s commitment to lowering taxes and business-friendly policies, which allow companies to grow and prosper in our state. I am proud of the Sunshine State’s flourishing economy, making our home the greatest place to live, work, play and raise a family.”

Other positive economic indicators include:

Private-sector industries gaining the most jobs over-the-year were:

Professional and business services with 36,000 new jobs;

Leisure and hospitality with 32,400 new jobs;

Construction with 28,600 new jobs;

Education and health services with 17,100 new jobs;

Financial activities with 15,000 new jobs;

Florida job postings showed 261,619 openings in January 2018; and

Florida’s housing market also remains strong as median home prices rose $20,000 across the state in the last year. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in January 2018 was $240,000, up from the previous year’s median price of $220,000. The increase in home prices and the number of homes sold resulted in an additional $500 million in home sales, up 10.9 percent from January 2017.

Below is a statement from Bill Herrle, National Federation of Independent Business/Florida Executive Director, on the passage of HB 37 on Direct Primary Care:

“NFIB applauds the passage of House Bill 37, which will dramatically lower healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes across Florida.

“HB 37 opens the door for small business owners to contract directly with primary care doctors and pay a manageable monthly fee that would give their employees access to primary care. It will save small business owners in healthcare costs while allowing them to increase their benefits and connect their employees and their families with primary care services.

“Direct primary care is a disruptive innovation. It breaks the mold of the conventional healthcare delivery system and streamlines primary care delivery, allowing doctors to spend more time with patients and patients to spend less money for quality care. It makes primary care about the doctor-patient relationship.

“We thank the leadership of the Florida Legislature, Senator Tom Lee and Representative Danny Burgess for seizing this opportunity to embrace this innovative healthcare model and deliver real healthcare reform to Floridians.”

NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 states. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information about NFIB is available online at NFIB.com/FL.

Below is a statement from Bill Herrle, National Federation of Independent Business/Florida Executive Director, on the passage of HB 661 on Business Filings:

“NFIB applauds the passage of HB 661, which will protect small business owners from becoming the victims of fraud.

“This bill requires the Division of Corporations to notify business owners when changes have been made to their corporate filings without their knowledge or approval. This will provide significant protections for small business owners against fraudulent activities and will go a long way toward thwarting the rising problem of business identify theft.”

Please find below a statement from Tim Nungesser, NFIB/Florida Legislative Director, on the passage of the Florida House’s tax package in the House Ways and Means Committee:

“NFIB applauds the Florida House for including a cut in the business rent tax as part of their tax package today.

“This burdensome unique-to-Florida tax comes directly out of Florida business owners’ bottom lines. Lowering this tax shows that the House recognizes the important contributions small business owners make to our economy. When small business owners get to keep more of their hard-earned money, they reinvest that money into their businesses and their communities.

“Alleviating the tax burden from the business rent tax will go a long way toward helping small business owners continue to create jobs and grow our economy, and we thank Chairman Renner for his leadership on behalf of small business owners.”

NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 states. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB’s powerful network of grassroots activists sends their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America’s free enterprise system. NFIB’s mission is to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate and grow their businesses. More information about NFIB is available online at NFIB.com/FL.

Legislation supported by the Coalition of Franchisee Associations

Florida’s small business owners will benefit from fair business standards under new legislation sponsored by Sen. Greg Steube and Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen. The proposal will establish commonsense safeguards ensuring that entrepreneurs who often invest their lifesavings into a franchised business have parity when it comes to the business relationship with their corporate franchisor. These business standards will promote economic opportunity and encourage continued investment in our state’s small businesses.
The proposal filed by Steube and Fitzenhagen will provide legal protections for businesses, leading to more economic growth and jobs in communities across the state. The Small Business Parity Act will introduce a greater degree of fairness for owners of franchised small businesses in Florida. The bill would apply only to renewals and new franchise contracts issued after the bill’s effective date.
“Florida’s hard-working franchise owners typically invest more than $375,000 of their own personal savings in order to pursue their dream of owning a small business, and we must do our part to help protect these investments in our local communities,” said Sen. Steube, the bill’s Senate sponsor. “These dedicated small business owners employ more than 404,000 Floridians, and I am proud today to do my part to file commonsense legislation that would protect the livelihoods of these men and women.”
“We simply want to level the playing field for these small business owners,” said Rep. Fitzenhagen, the House sponsor. “The unfortunate truth is that many of these large, out-of-state corporations are taking advantage of the tremendous imbalance in the franchisor-franchisee relationship. This is wrong, and this bill provides an opportunity to level the playing field.”
If enacted into law, the Small Business Parity Act will:

defend franchise business owners from unjust terminations and non-renewals without good cause

defend franchise owners from unjust limitations on sales and transfers based on unreasonable requirements

give franchise owners the right to pursue legal disputes against their franchisors in Florida court and under Florida law

requires that both franchisors and franchise owners act in “good faith”

The Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA) is supporting the new legislation for the upcoming legislative session. The CFA, founded in 2007 as the largest franchisee-only trade association in the country, provides a forum for its members to share best practices, knowledge, and resources for the benefit of all small businesses that operate independent franchise establishments.
“I wish Florida would offer me the same protections that more than 20 other states give to their small business owners,” said Terry Hutchinson, a Florida franchise owner. “Franchise owners like me support our local economies, hire people from our communities, and pay state taxes — we deserve a stable relationship with the corporate brands, so we can both grow and foster Florida’s economy.”
For more information on the Small Business Parity Act please visit protectFLbusiness.com.

Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida businesses created nearly 30,000 private-sector jobs in December. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,497,100 jobs, including nearly 205,000 jobs created in 2017. Florida’s annual job growth rate, which is 2.8 percent, also continues to exceed the nation’s rate, which is 1.6 percent. Governor Scott announced December jobs numbers at the PGA TOUR office in Ponte Vedra. The PGA TOUR has selected Ponte Vedra Beach as the location for its new global headquarters, which will create 300 new jobs for families in St. Johns County. The PGA TOUR currently employs 800 Floridians.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida businesses concluded 2017 by creating nearly 30,000 new jobs for families across the state in December. Our work to cut taxes, reduce regulation and encourage economic growth has sent a message across the country that Florida is where job creators and families should go to succeed. Florida had a great year of job creation in 2017 and we will fight each day to make sure our state remains the best place for new opportunities in 2018, and for years to come.”
As of December, Florida’s unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent, a drop of 7.0 percentage points since December 2010, faster than the national decline of 5.2 percentage points. In the last year, 185,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.9 percent, which is nearly four times the national labor force growth rate of only 0.5 percent.
Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Florida businesses had strong job growth in 2017, creating nearly 205,000 jobs for families throughout the state. It is important to continue to support Governor Scott’s pro-business priorities to ensure our state stays competitive and recruits new businesses.”Other positive economic indicators include:

Gov. Scott to Tell Louisiana Business Owners to Move to Florida

Governor Rick Scott today announced he will be leading a domestic trade mission to Louisiana this week to convince more businesses to move to Florida. During the trade mission, Governor Scott will meet with Louisiana companies to share how Florida is making it easier for families and job creators to succeed and why they should consider moving their operations to Florida.
Governor Scott said, “While we are fighting to cut taxes and make it harder for politicians to raise taxes in Florida, Louisiana is doing the exact opposite. In fact, for nearly two years, Governor John Bel Edwards has been continuously working to raise taxes instead of reaching a long-term solution for their state’s financial crisis. Passing the buck to Louisiana families and business owners, who are already overburdened by high personal income and business taxes, is clearly not working. Louisiana’s unemployment rate is larger than the national average and their job growth rate is more than three times lower than Florida’s.
“Louisiana leaders should look to Florida to see how to achieve economic growth. Florida faced a $4 billion budget deficit when I became Governor in 2010, but over the past seven years, we have completely turned around Florida’s economy without raising taxes. With no income tax, a low business tax and a business-friendly environment, Florida is the perfect location for Louisiana business owners and families who want to keep more of their hard-earned money. I look forward to sharing this message during our domestic trade mission this week and ultimately welcoming more Louisiana job creators to Florida.”
Additional details on the trade mission will be announced in the coming days.